SEGA Among 20 Companies Making Bids to Purchase Atlus

SEGA is reportedly looking to further expand its walls by gathering up another well respected studio under its umbrella. Japan Bloomberg is reporting that the company has made a bid to purchase Atlus from its financially troubled parent company, Index Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy in Japan.

Japan Bloomberg has said that SEGA was one of about 20 companies to make a bid, so all that remains to be seen is if they ended up on top of the pile. About ¥20 billion ($203 million) in bids were made to purchase Atlus, showing the true value of the fan-favorite company.

Atlus is the developer of the popular Persona series and it is also well known for publishing many niche Japanese titles in Western countries. This summer alone sees the highly anticipated releases of Etrian Odyssey IV, Shin Megami Tensei IV and Dragon’s Crown, all three efforts aimed at those who love Japanese video games.

Should SEGA succeed in its bid, it will be its second high profile acquisition of the year. The company already bought out the highly respected Relic Software and its Company of Heroes RTS series back in January during the THQ bankruptcy auction.

Honestly, it’s a decent fit. SEGA needs to make some risky moves to pull itself back on top again, and Atlus allows it to fill a niche it does not have covered yet. Between the casual audience from Sonic, the Western audience from Relic Software, the Japanese fanboy audience from Atlus, and even its own niche lineup of games like Jet Grind Radio, NiGHTS and classic Genesis games, SEGA is looking to cover all fronts and push its way into the digital age with no gamer left behind.